Dating : 5 Daily Habits to Build a Stronger, More Passionate Romantic Relationship

Investing in your relationships isn’t just about building a stronger, more intimate bond with your spouse or partner.
It’s also about investing in your own health, well-being and happiness.
“Two people are not in a relationship unless the behaviors and outcomes of one affect the behaviors and outcomes of the other,” reports the Oxford Handbook of Close Relationships.
(2) “It is this interdependence…that grants relationship partners powerful influence over one another. Perhaps nowhere is the effect of this influence more apparent than…the link between romantic relationships and health: individuals’ physical health…are profoundly influenced by their partners.”
If you want to see more passion, more romance and renewed closeness, it requires a daily commitment to love.
You see, passion isn’t kindled overnight, but instead comes from a regular ritual that keeps you and your partner’s lives intertwined and connected.
Every relationship is different, and even the same relationship will evolve, shift and morph over time.
No matter where your relationship is today — whether you feel like it could use some tender, loving care, or if you feel like you’re still enjoying the passionate throes of youthful love — the following daily habits can help build and strengthen any romantic bond.
And by making these habits a part of your regular life, instead of simply a “special event” for an anniversary or milestone, you create a buffer against life’s obstacles and future relationship problems.
Start today with one of these daily habits.
Over time, they’ll become an indispensable tool in your relationship toolbox to keep your relationship (and your health) at its peak.

Do Small Acts of Kindness

Sure, doing a grand gesture (such as standing outside your lover’s window with a boombox like John Cusack does in the movie “Say Anything” has its place in showing the depth of your love.
But it’s in the mundane everyday that true love shines.
In a study published in the journal Emotion, researchers followed 175 couples for the first seven months of their marriage.
(3) They found that doing little acts of kindness every day increased the couples’ happiness, emotional well-being, and sense of fulfillment.
Try one of the following today and see your partner’s eyes light up in appreciation:
Do the laundry
Wash dishes
Wash their car
Take out the trash
Make them breakfast
Bring them coffee
Household chores are unavoidable in a relationship, and it’s something that no one enjoys.
By contributing more to the household duties, you make yourself more attractive in your partner’s eyes.
Plus, it helps to show your loved one that you see your relationship as a true partnership.
Finally, doing household chores clears up both of your schedule to enjoy more quality time together doing things you love.

Go on a Date Night

If you’ve been married or in a relationship with someone for a while, date nights might have lost a bit of their luster.
The demands of life, whether it’s ferrying your children to school or juggling a full work schedule, can even make date nights seem like a luxury you simply don’t have the time to enjoy.
But researchers say that date nights are important, whether you’re in a brand-new and exciting relationship or have been with the same person for 30 years.
In one of the largest studies of its kind, the Marriage Foundation followed 10,000 women.
(4) These women had jobs, children and similar demands on their time and pressures on their relationship.
The researchers found that couples who went on a date night at least once a month were more likely to stay together than couples who rarely went on date nights.
And if you think you don’t have time, it’s important to note that these relationship-building benefits kicked in when couples went on just one date night a month.
Date nights don’t need to be the traditional idea of going to dinner.
There are options for any interest and any budget. For example, you could go for a walk to the coffee shop, enjoy a hike up a mountain, or do a stay-cation at a local hotel.
The importance is that you spend time together, alone, with the focus on each other.

Be Prepared for Disagreements

All couples fight, but the couples that enjoy the best relationship are prepared for the fight and have created a way to resolve their issues.
The top issues (5) that couples fight over are:
Extended family
Money and finances
Physical intimacy
Free time
Housework
Whether your common disagreements are in the above list, or if you and your partner squabble over another issue, discuss in advance how the two of you disagree, and what it takes to find a mutually agreeable resolution.
Take a look at past arguments.
What worked?
What didn’t work?
Then, talk about making a game plan for your next disagreement.
It’s important to have this talk when you’re both happy and calm, not when you’re in the midst of a conflict.
For example, perhaps one of you gets hot headed very quickly. If you both know this, creating space for a cooling off period before discussing the “hot topic” can help.

Never Stop Flirting

When you were in the initial stages of dating, flirting came naturally.
It was how you expressed your affection, interest and attraction to the other person.
But as you dated over the months or years, or when you got married, all of a sudden you got more comfortable.
Perhaps one of you (or both of you) got into the groove and rhythm of the relationship.
You were no longer trying to woo the other person, because the other person was now comfortably yours.
Yet flirting can still be part of a healthy relationship to keep that spark alive.
Think back to how you flirted when you first met, and see if you can recreate some of those same habits, patterns and feelings.
Perhaps you could…
Use touch. Whether it’s brushing hair out of her eyes or touching his shoulder, physical contact can create the rush of hormones that are the foundation for physical attraction.
Remember when the two of you would create so much joy? Find ways to laugh together.
Give them your complete attention. Turn that phone off. Keep the TV muted during dinner. Avoid multitasking. Give each other your full and devoted attention.
Go heavy on the compliments. Tell your partner how attractive they are. Wink at them from across the room. Thank them when they do something kind.

Use Your Partner’s Love Language

Gary Chapman is a relationship expert who penned the bestselling book on what he calls the five love languages.
His theory is that each person has a “love language” — a type of action or a pattern of words that resonates with them and makes them feel loved and appreciated.
According to Chapman, the five love languages are:
Words of affirmation
Quality time
Receiving gifts
Acts of service
Physical touch
Sit down with your partner and discuss the ways you feel loved.
Ask him or her how they feel loved, too.
Then, be conscious of this and show your love in a way that your partner best understands and appreciates.
Build your relationship habits around this love language.
By making this a daily habit, and doing this in a way that resonates with the deepest parts of their soul, you establish a strong foundation of warmth, acceptance, love and passion.
References:

https://www.providr.com/building-a-strong-relationship/
http://www.richslatcher.com/papers/LovingSlatcher_RelsHealthchapter.pdf

http://time.com/4674982/kindness-compassion-marriage/
https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-benefits-of-monthly-date-nights-for-married-couples
https://www.scienceofpeople.com/couples-fight/